Andronicas
Andronicas Bertrand Gracedawn was a mage of the Kirin Tor. The son to a humble farmer and caring seamstress, Andronicas grew up in a small town in the Eastweald, Willowshire. The Plague consumed him and his older brother, Astorias. While his brother has fully accepted his fate as an undead, Andronicas is still firmly set in his belief that the curse of undeath—and the blight that has overtaken the land—is an illusion. He currently views the state of "being" undead as a final test posed by the leadership of the Kirin Tor before he can become an apprentice to a member of the Council of Six. He still waits for his former master to let him know that he has passed. History His name is Andronicas Bertrand Gracedawn, and his life has been one of convenience, pleasure, and misfortune. At the age of eight, Andronicas was capable of lighting candles with a snap of his finger, and by age eleven he could chill the air around people to provide brief respites from blazing heat during the summer. When he turned thirteen, his father got gravely ill, and while he was ready and willing to stay with his brother and look after the estate and their parents, Astorias insisted he travel southward to Dalaran to take the next step in his path to being a mage. After many heated arguments, Andronicas finally relented and took the blessing that his brother had given him, gathered his supplies, and left toward Dalaran to become an apprentice in the Kirin Tor. Weeks later, when he finally arrived at Dalaran, he made it known his intention of joining the mage order. In order to join, he was tested then and there by an official Kirin Tor mage, Aberforth Cromwell. As he was only barely a teenager and was entirely self-taught, the test was exceptionally difficult—he was tasked with starting a fire within a damp bale of hay, blindfolded. Luckily, he was ecstatic that he was being given the opportunity to join the Kirin Tor, and, with his magical power being tied to his emotional state, he passed with flying colors. The following three years were by far the most difficult of his life as he went through the trials of an apprentice mage in the Kirin Tor. The vast majority of his time as an apprentice was spent reviewing spellwork of his seniors and also tending to their every desire, magical or otherwise. With the help of his mentor, a gnome by the name of Fizzwhick Hillsprint, he became one of the youngest mages in the Kirin Tor's history at the age of 17. Every month, he wrote a letter back home detailing his life, new spells he had mastered, and random musings. Additionally, as he knew his family wasn't well off, he attached what money he could (as within the Kirin Tor there was little need of it) in an effort to help them. He very seldom received any news from his family, but when a letter did arrive, he cherished it. After becoming a mage of the Kirin Tor, he and his mentor frequently went on missions to explore far off lands of Azeroth in search of ancient magics and fabled relics. He has done battle with the ferocious wildlife of Stranglethorn, taken down corrupted abominations within the defiled forest of Felwood, explored the hostile and harrowing land of Silithus, and even researched fantastical and arcane technology within the bizarre, verdant microcosm of Un'Goro Crater. Fizzwhick, much to Andy's chagrin at the time, adored wintry climates and often brought Andronicas to visit the gargantuan, resplendent citadel of Ironforge in the snowy mountains of Dun Morogh. The research and exploration ended as the beginning of the end was nigh. The prevailing rumor around Dalaran was that a sinister magic was ravaging the lands of the Eastern Kingdoms near Quel'thelas, and that it was spreading with frightening alacrity. No one but the highest ranked elites knew exactly what was going on outside of Dalaran. All archmages within the Kirin Tor were constantly sent on diplomatic or quarantine missions, and communication (except for that of the Council) in and out of Dalaran was heavily scrutinized and surveyed. The tension within Dalaran was thick enough to be pierced with an arcane missile. As Fizzwhick and Andronicas had grown very close, his mentor explicitly told him that the "sinister magic" was actually a deathly plague that transformed people into abominations. Andronicas pleaded with him. "My family lives in the Eastweald, close to where this plague is spreading Fizz! I need to warn them! Damn the Kirin Tor's stance of neutrality, I have to try and save my family... Please, please help me." "I know two of the mages that are in charge of analyzing incoming and outgoing mail, as well as the head wizard responsible for regulating teleportation in and out of Dalaran..." Fizzwhick pulled on his beard. "I can help you send a very short and necessarily cryptic letter, as well as a one-way teleportation spell out of the city. One-way, Andy! If you do this, you will face serious punishment and you could very well die while you are down there. I don't know how far it has progressed." Fizz hung his head and sighed. Andronicas simply stared at Fizzwhick and nodded, knowing full well that this disregard for the quarantine of Dalaran would set him back in his attempt to become an apprentice wizard to a mage in the Council. Fizz sighed and wiped away the two tears that started to form in his bright blue eyes. "Very well Andy; I truly wish you the very best. You're one of the best wizards I've ever had the pleasure of teaching, and, in a few more years, you very well could surpass my powers... Please be careful, my friend. Don't waste your life." "I promise I won't." One very short and necessarily cryptic letter, as promised, was sent out of Dalaran to reach Astorias in the Eastweald. It flew with a raven—unsure if it'd find its target alive. All that was written on the letter, in Andronicas' unique calligraphy, was this: "Meet me in Brill, on the 19th of next month." Andronicas barely slept or ate over the three days after the letter was sent as Fizzwhick figured out the logistics of teleporting him out of the city without raising suspicions. As Andy approached the arcane portal in the depths of Dalaran, he gave a curt and final nod to Fizzwhick—and an appreciative nod and smirk to Malthris Starsmith, Fizz's contact within Dalaran's teleportation division. Immediately before stepping into the portal, he surprised to find he was less anxious when he fought demons in the Blasted Lands than he was at this moment. This moment of hesitation led to the hilarious and spur of the moment kick in his ass from Fizzwhick, shunting him through the portal and onto the cold, hard ground of the Tirisfal Glades. He spared no time in getting to Brill, but by no means did he fail to perceive that everyone he encountered was on edge; the air, even, prickled with a gripping and eerie sort of electricity. He got to the tavern in Brill before his brother and spent a while listening to gossip and rumors of the inhabitants. Countless stories of grain and meat being poisoned and ingested across the lands, mass graves being dug far to the east to handle the droves of bodies piling up, and tales of undead thralls roaming the lands not but a long day's ride from Brill. Astorias arrived, and Andronicas was simultaneously relieved and frightened by his appearance. He was self-evidently pissed but was also glad to see him. They exchanged pleasantries and went into the tavern before Andy told him, "You have to leave Lordaeron now. I hoped I would have had better news, but the King did not react as the Kirin Tor had hoped." He, to this day, knows not why he didn't tell his brother exactly why they had to leave Lordaeron. "Twenty-five years—you left me for nearly twenty-five years—and now you tell me to leave them?" His brother spat back with a barely disguised note of vitriol in his voice. "Well"—Andronicas gave him a shit-eating grin—"it seems you were keen on it already, or you wouldn't be here right now, eh, sunshine?" He thought of his long-ago memories about his dour brother, and how he hated that nickname. Perhaps a laugh in bad taste, but he needed some humor in such a tense environment. He could see his brother's fist curl up, but at the last moment it turned into the hardest backslap Andy had ever felt. His brother stormed away and up the stairs to his room. Andy called out but was met only with the slamming of a door and the awkward gaze of the tavern's denizens. On that night, Andronicas died. Or at least, it might as well have been that night, for it was the last time Andronicas fell asleep as a human. His will was, for some time, ostensibly bound to the fallen crown prince, Arthas Menethil, until such control curiously ceased to be. He finally woke up, in perhaps several meanings of the phrase, in a widespread graveyard, surrounded on all sides by gravestones and fog. He looked down to see that his hands were skeletal, and he touched his face to feel the cold, metallic Lordaeron burial brands stretched across his cheeks. All he could think in that moment—and all that held back the torrent of insanity that rushed toward him—was that everything around him was an illusion. Yes, yes, a remarkably powerful illusion set up by the Kirin Tor! There had to have been some hidden goal to this to this test set before him that, should he meet it, he would be welcomed back into the good graces of the Kirin Tor. It had to be... He couldn't have died. He couldn't be undead. He just couldn't be. He promised. In his frantic and terrified state, he didn't realize that his grasp on the magical arts—the arts he'd spent decades mastering—had seemingly slipped from his mind, and his fingers. He was as powerless now as he was when he was seventeen. Current Events His life as an undead is just beginning with a myriad of future paths awaiting him. If one is so inclined, detailed accounts of his exploits will be recounted here as he deems necessary. Personality Andronicas is, for an undead, a ball of joy. While his mirth and general positive outlook on life has certainly been dampened since his undeath, he has still retained his upbeat attitude towards life (though it remains to be seen if this continues after he internalizes that his reality is not illusory). He adores witticisms and puns and will actively go out of his way to prank people if he knows them well. While he wasn't perhaps the most prodigious apprentice that the Kirin Tor had, he was certainly the most handsome. He is obsessed with his looks and his wardrobe. He is cocky and has always acted brazenly since his youth, yet he nevertheless has a quick and calculating strategic mind that led to his growing renown within the Kirin Tor. While fire was the first of the elemental magics he could conjure, frost has always been his favorite and is empowered when he is spurned. His magical mastery is intertwined strongly with his emotions, and though he is generally a cheery, boisterous, and loving person, if he is slighted or crossed, his demeanor and tonality become colder than the depths of Northrend. Appearance As his favorite color is green, he was at least happy to see that his illusory undead form had not only green hair but that his skin was a light forest green as well. He stands at a slightly above average height and, much like in life, has a slight hunch. He was deeply upset to find his illusion felt remarkably real as he felt his face with his skeletal hands and discovered the Lordaeron burial brands and lack of both his once-beautiful nose and eyes. One thing has not changed since becoming undead, and that is his taste in clothing. He prefers lighter, warm colors usually, but he also tends to dress according to his moods (it just so happens that he is typically in a cheery and bright mood). Trivia * Andronicas loves nothing more than listening to the gentle sound of a creek or a river. This love began when he first visited the Stranglethorn Vale. It was also then that he realized he adores hot climates but since becoming undead, his climate preferences have shifted antithetically. * Andronicas, between the ages of 19 and 25, was in a committed relationship with a fellow mage in the Kirin Tor, a human woman named Sierra Merrywreath. While they were engaged but not married, they did get pregnant 5 years into their relationship. However, during a harrowing test of fire magic, Sierra's spell inexplicably turned inward and she immolated herself and their soon to be child. In the twelve years since, Andronicas has not removed his wedding band and only through significant therapy has he been able to get comfortable casting fire magics again. * His favorite fruit are apples and his least favorite food are breads of any kind. His favorite music involve anything written in minor keys and he loves listening to sad, depressing music when he is particularly happy as he feels it levels him out. Category:Characters Category:Horde Category:Forsaken Category:Mage Category:The Harbingers